Part-funded by a £10,000 grant from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growing Business Fund, Norwich-based CIM took on the machine in early January.

It joins a portfolio of five further printers and a variety of finishing kit for the production of vinyl and digital prints for signs, exhibition panels, POS, wallpapers and bespoke wall coverings.

CIM managing director Mark Baker said: “We are delighted to install this new printer, which will enable us to further improve the service and lead times for customers. We pride ourselves on turning jobs around fast so this machine will be a big asset to our business.

“It’s very exciting to be the first company in East Anglia to be able to offer this kind of print and we can’t wait to put the Canon Océ through its paces.”

The 1.6m-wide Colorado 1650 is a four-colour device that makes use of Canon’s UVgel ink technology and prints resolutions of 1,800dpi at up to 159sqm/hr.

With the UVgel tech, CIM can finish print in matt or gloss without separate lamination and the ink is instantly dry, allowing the firm to not only print faster but also to increase production workflow as jobs can be progressed from start to finish without downtime while they dry in between processes.

Established in 2000, CIM has been on an investment drive since 2018 when it acquired the premises next door in order to boost its vehicle graphics facilities by 30%. Its further kit includes two more wide-format printers, a Rollsroller flatbed applicator and a laminator.

The company employs 17 members of staff.